Various prior patents have disclosed specialized fabrics for use as stiffening or backing components in a multi-layer fabric structure. For example, Frank U.S. Pat. No. 1,749,634 discloses a plain weave necktie lining fabric. Stoll et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,142,109 is directed to scrim fabrics and discloses a fabric that has a plurality of warp yarns of cotton or rayon, and the weft yarns are comprised of a synthetic thermoplastic fiber material. Schneider U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,246 discloses a web of woven fabric for the production of reinforcing inlays in which the warp threads have differing density in certain areas of the web for purposes of increasing structural rigidity. Homma et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,713 discloses a reinforcing fabric that has a reinforcing filament yarn arranged to form a high density portion of the warps with wefts of reinforcing yarn extending obliquely into the warps. The fabric is a highly specialized fabric intended to be laminated into composite materials used in aerospace applications. Bainbridge et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,414 discloses a non-laminated woven sailcloth that uses a reinforcing fiber such as Kevlar.TM. in either the warp direction, the weft direction, or both directions.
Apart from fabrics specifically intended for stiffening or backing in a multi-layer constructions, it is also known in the prior art that certain weaves combining various types of threads with various weave patterns can be chosen to produce specific properties, e.g., strength. Thus, Wolff U.S. Pat. No. 2,146,664 discloses a fabric wherein the weft threads exhibit a greater number of piles than the warp threads, with the resultant cloth not differing in appearance but being considerably stronger. Okamoto, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,022 discloses a fabric having both extra fine and relatively heavier weft yarns, and a warp of relatively heavier denier. Heiman U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,326 discloses a woven plain weave sheeting material that uses warps made of a blend of synthetic and natural material and wefts made of a natural material. Heiman U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,183 is a related patent that discloses a woven sheeting material that has 75 warps per square inch and 68 wefts per square inch. Krummheuer et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,163 discloses fabric that has a very dense structure, with a thread count of 23 to 28 per centimeter in the warp and weft.
Various patents disclosing caps have also been granted. For example, Klein U.S. Pat. No. 2,004,913 discloses a cap that has an open woven structure to provide a ventilated inner section of the cap. Briers U.S. Pat. No. De. 170,398 discloses the ornamental appearance of the exterior of a duck-billed cap. Smith U.S. Pat. No. 3,085,252 discloses a baseball-style cap that has its front piece permanently creased by stitching so that it is vertically upstanding. Boughten U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,270 discloses a cap that has a movable divider formed of a flexible sheet of material. The movable divider provides an inner liner for the cap that can be moved to either cover the entire inner surface of the cap or only the front portion. Sullivan U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,196 discloses a cap that has a removable and adjustable inner liner. In one embodiment, in addition to a removable headband, a removable liner that covers part of the interior surface of the cap is also disclosed. Sherman U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,277 discloses a reversible hat with a stiffening layer that maintains the shape of the hat when reversed from one side to another.
The foregoing patents relate to both the utility of the structure, as well as the ornamental appearance of the cap. In the headwear field, these two concepts are often intertwined since the aesthetic features of the cap are often dictated by the construction, or, conversely, the desired aesthetic appearance is achieved using a particular construction technique or a certain material or combination of materials. A unique aspect of headwear in general and baseball style caps in particular is that when the cap is not being worn, the inner lining is exposed. This is in contrast to the inner lining fabrics used in garments such as suit jackets, neckties, and the like. Thus, the lining of a cap represents another area where aesthetics and the structure of the object go hand in hand.
The present state of the art is to use a lining material comprised of woven fabric of warp and weft yarns that may or may not be fused by heat to the outer shell material of the cap. This lining material provides both stiffening to help retain the shape of the cap, and provides a backing that permits embroidery to be applied to the front of the cap. An example of this type of headwear interlining fabric is manufactured and sold by Crown Textile Company of Taladega, Ala. (U.S.A.), as Style 2323, which is a monofilament polyester/rayon fabric that has a "pick count" of 23 and is sold in three stiffness grades: medium, firm and very firm. As known in the art, pick count is one way of characterizing a fabric, another is ends per inch. In the case of the aforementioned prior art fabric, the warp ends per inch is 58.
However, this and other fabrics presently in use in the headwear industry are inadequate for a number of reasons. First, the appearance of the interior of the cap is less than perfect, the mesh structure of the backing fabric being such that the colors of the cap material "bleed through" and are visible when the cap is not being worn. Similarly, any irregularities, slubs or other imperfections in the lining material are also readily apparent due to the contrast between the lining material and the material of the cap. Moreover, the presently available lining materials are such that their stiffness and irregular construction actually tends to interfere with the application of embroidery, and in particular interferes with the application of very fine resolution embroidery. For example, very small letters or small intricate designs such as the copyright (.COPYRGT.) symbol or registered trademark (.RTM.) symbol--one of which is often required to be applied along with a logo that is on the cap.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fabric that facilitates the embroidery process rather than causing interference. Additionally it is another object of the present invention to provide improved aesthetics to the inner surface of a cap. It is a further object of the present invention to disclose a fabric that provides shape retention for a cap to a degree selective by varying degrees of finish additive. Finally, it is an additional objective of the present invention to provide a fabric particularized to headwear that will provide quality, appearance and market interest.